Receptacle-sealing device



y 22, 1930. E. H. FABRICE 1,771,034

RECEPTACLE SEALING DEVICE Filed May 19, 1930 I Ifuf Q1115 IQMIm Z FQZH'f Patented. Jul 22, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlce Enwmn n. nann es, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR To comment SAFETY sun.

comrm, or cmcne nmmors, A conronerron or rumors nEcEr'rAcLE-smmd nnvrca Application filed Kay '19,

This invention relates to sealed and resealable bottles or the like and has for its object to provide a bottle-neck and sealing cap therefor coacting to prevent tampering with one of its objects to provide a bottle sealing cap consisting of a single, integral piece of suitable sheet metal of a suitable nature and includes a severable strip whereby said cap may be divided between its ends to free the crown portion from the skirt portion and which presents a crown portion of'the screwcap type presenting certain characteristics hereinafter particularly pointed out.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a bottle sealing cap constructed in accordance with the invention and in the shape preceding the mounting thereof on a bottle-neck.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of a conventional type of bottle having its spout or neck portion constructed in accordance with this invention and having the cap shown in Fig. 1 mounted thereon.

Fig. 3 is a perspective of the crown portion of the cap shown in Fig. 1 after severance thereof from the skirt portion of said cap.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the bottle-neck after the crown portion of the sealing cap has been removed and with the skirt portion of the cap still attached thereto.

Fig. 5 is an axial sectional view of the bottle-neck of this invention equipped with a sealing cap constructed in accordance with the invention.

'In the manufacture of bottle sealing caps of the type equipped with an integral severable strip, usually termed a rip-strip, certain characteristics are essentially necessary to successful use of the caps. One of the main essentials is that the metal shall be of such thinness as will permit the same to be readily spun over and conform themselves to the shape and snugly hug the formatio of the battle which are designed and intende to 1930. Serial No. 458,701.

engage-the skirt portion of the cap without resort to pressures by the spinning tool of sucl]; degree as is likely to fracture the bottlenec But the metal must also be sufliciently strong to render very difficult the removal or disengagement of the spun-over skirt portion from the formations of the bottle-neck engaged thereby.

Again, the metal must be thinenough and of sufficient flexibility or malleability to permit fairly easy digital severance of the ripstrip of the cap from the skirt and crown portions of the latter without the use of tools.

Additionally, it is very desirable that the crown-portion of the cap shall constitute a means for resealing the bottle after initialunsealing thereof and shall be of such a nature as to effectively seal and reseal the bottle Without requiring the insertion of a cork into the bottle-mouth. The screw cap has been found to be the most eflicient type of sealing and resealing bottle-closure except for the danger of its becoming loose during transportation with the resulting leakage. Furthermore, the screw-cap closure for bottles must, ordinarily, be made of a metal sufliciently strong to prevent distortion of the thread portion thereof under the influence of a digital force usually exerted to effectually seal or reseal the bottle, this distortion being equivalent to the stripping of threads of threaded elements in other arts.

Hence, the present" invention comprehends also the provision of a sealing cap which includes a crown portion constituting a screwcap so constructed that, although composed of sheet-metal sufliciently thin, and possessing the other characteristics aforesaid, to be adapted to the several needs above enumerated, it is' sufliciently rigid to withstand the digital force necessary and customarily applied for effecting sealingand resealing of the bottle without being distorted with respect to the thread formations thereof.

A still further desirable feature of the invention resides in rendering the whole sealing cap as short as possible to this economize material and reduce the drawing operations,

necessary to its production, as few as possible and, furthermore, also prevent appreciable thinning out and weakening the metal.

Referring to the drawings, the cap comprises the flat top wall 1 provided with a circular depression 2 forming a circular rib on the inner face of said top wall and functioning as hereinafter described.

, The top wall 1 is integral with the circumferential wall which includes the knurled portion 3 adjacent said top wall 1, the threadportion 4, the annular bead and an initially cylindrical skirt portion 9. The thread-formations 4 terminate at or may be said to vanish in the knurled portion 3 and annular bead 5, respectively, said portions 3 and 5 acting as reinforcing and stiffening formations materially aiding in preventing distortion of the thread-formations 4 under the influence of the digital force required and exercised in rotating the cap upon the bottleneck to sealing position. The force so exercised varies appreciably so that the threadformations are required to be suficiently strong to resist the greatest force, within reasonable limits, that maybe digitally exercised thereon in sealing and resealing the bottle It will be noted that the thread formation 4 of the cap is such that substantially one complete revolution of the latter relatively to the bottle neck moves said cap from removable to sealing position.

In the skirt portion 9 immediately below the bead 5, is the rip-strip 6 terminating at one end in the tongue 7 which is bordered by a substantially U-shaped slot, the latter being of greater length below than above said tongue 7. The said rip-strip 6 is bordered by annular scorings 8 which weaken the metal to the extent necessary to permit severance of said strip from said skirt portion by digitally engaging the tongue 7 and pulling the same outwardly from the skirt portion. The difference in length of the arms of the slot causes an initial severance along the upper score-line 8 before severance along the lower score-line takes place, thereby considerably reducing the initial digital force required to tear out said rip-strip from said skirt portion. As this is elfected the lower edge of the cap is rendered raw and capable of cutting the fingers of users but as the upper score-line 8 is coincident with the lower edge of the bead 5, it is so overhung by the latter as to be out of reach of the fingers during unsealing and rescaling operations and is, furthermore, rendered invisible by said bead when the cap is on the bottle. This is obviously very desirable.

It will also be noted that the rip-strip 6 lies entirely between the ends of the cylindrical head 12 of the bottle neck and that the skirt portion of the cap closely fits or hugs said head so that, after removal of the rip-strip 6 from said skirt portion, the upper raw-edge of the latter does not roject outwardly from the surface of the ead 12 and thus is not apt to cut the fingers of the hand manipulating the bottle especially during the unsealing and re-sealing of the latter.

Mounted within the cap is a disk 14 of a suitable material such as cork and below this is a thin disk of a material which is nonabsorbent and resists chemical reaction with or dissolution by the bottle contents. Thin fibre board is commonly used in some instances and in others, lead-oil or paraffined paper are used. These sealing members 14; and 15 are compressed upon the rim 10 of the bottle-neck as the cap is rotated thereon to final sealing position. The circular formation or bead 2 is of a diameter substantially equal to, but preferably slightly less than, that of the bottle-mouth so that in practice it initially slightly distorts the disks 14 and to cause them to more firmly hug the inner annular edge of the rim 10 and, furthermore, serves to compensate for slight bulging of the middle portion of the top wall 1 of the cap under the influence of excessive force applied to the cap for effecting sealing of the bottle.

The bottle neck is equipped with the thread formation 11, a cylindrical annular head 12 and a convex annular bead 13 below and spaced from said bead 12. The thread formation 11 is also spaced at its ends from the rim 10 and the head 12 and the crown of said thread formation is disposed flush with the cylindrical plane of the head 12.

The cap is initially secured in sealing position by inserting the mouth portion of the bottle into the same and then effecting forced relative rotation of the cap and bottle to effect sealing of the latter. The inner diameter of the skirt portion of the cap coincides with the outer diameter of the beads 12 and 13 so that a fairly close fit is eifected and, after bringing the cap to sealing position, the skirt portion is spun over to hug snugly the head 13 and the wall of the annular groove between the beads 12 and 13, thereby substantially permanently rigidly associating the cap with the bottleneck and preventing relative rotation thereof to effect partial unsealing of the bottle in transportation or until its severance by removal of the said rip-strip 6. The latter is disposed between the upper and lower edges of the bead 12 so that the tongue 7 lies in direct contact with the surface of said head. The head 5 overlaps the upper end portion of the bead 12 and, after removal of the strip 6, the raw edge at the top of the remaining skirt portion of the cap is in such close proximity to the surface of said head as to be harmless to the fingers of the user in event of accidental contact with said raw edge.

The total depth of the removable portion of said cap, after tearing out the strip 6, is such that in manipulating the same, the tips of the thumb and finger of the operator engage the cap surface from the bead to the top wall thereof. This is very desirable in that the digital pressure incident to effect sealing of the bottle, is exerted upon the thread portion to thus materially aid in preventing distortion of said threads.

The body of the bottle and the neck portion thereof below the bead 13 may be of any desired shape and dimensions.

It will be observed that the thread formations of the bottle neck and sealing cap are such that substantially a single revolution of the cap relatively to the bottle suflices to effect sealing of the latter and that the terminals of the thread formation of the cap are practically at the opposed edge portions of the knurl formation 3 and bead 5 so that the latter are not spaced very far apart. It is well known that distortion of sheet metal effects a hardening or substantial tempering thereof which affects not only the distorted area but also the adjacent areas thereof or, in other words, extends throughout a zone of influence which varies as to distance of its border from the area of distortion proportionately to the extent or depth of distortion relatively to the thickness of the metal.

In the instant structure the entire thread formation of the cap lies substantially within the zone of influence of the distortion effecting the knurl formation3 and bead formation 5 so that the thread area is not only stiffened by its own distortion but is further stiffened because it lies within the zone of influence of the distortions or formations 3 and 5, this stiffening of the thread formation being such as to permit the use of a sheet metal sufliciently thin to allow digital severance of the rip-strip 6. The width or depth of space occupied by the thread formation is substantially equal to the combined width'or depth of the knurl 3 and bead 5.

I claim as my invention:

,1. A bottle and sealing cap assembly comprising a substantially single turn thread formation on the bottle neck spaced from and relatively close to the bottle mouth, an annular substantially cylindrical bead formation on said neck below and at the terminus of said thread formation, and presenting an annular shoulder at its lower end, and a substan-' tially cylindrical seamless cap closed at its upper end and provided at said upper end and between its ends with annular stiffening and reinforcing formations and with a thread formation therebetween, the skirt portion of said cap equipped with an annular rip-strip terminating in a digitally engageable tongue and disposed immediately below the lower stiffening formation and overlying and sub stantially covering the annular cylindrical bead formation of the bottle neck, the lower end of said skirt portion equipped with an annular inwardly extending bead engaging the lower shoulder of said cylindrical bead formation, said cap constituting a unitary sheet metal structure composed of metal normally too weak to resist distortion of its thread formation under the influence of the stresses applied thereto to effect sealing and leaving said thread formation strengthened by said reinforcing and stiffening formations.

2. A bottle sealing cap for a bottle having a neck as defined in claim 1 comprising a sin gle piece unitary seamless structure composed of sheet metal of uniform thickness throughout and comprising a screw cap crown portion having a thread formation bordered at its terminals by annular reinforcing and stiffening formations of a combined width substantially equal to the length of the area occupied by said thread formation, the latter occupying substantially only the zone of hardening influence resulting from distortion of the metal in forming said reinforcing and stiffening formations, and an annular continuous skirt portion equipped adjacent one of sad last-named formations with a rip-strip terminating in a free, digitally engageable tongue, said skirt portion maintained normally soft and permitting severance therefrom of said rip-strip without resort to tools.

3. A bottle sealing cap for a bottle having a neck as defined in claim 1 comprising a single piece unitary seamless structure composed of sheet metal of uniform thickness throughout and comprising a screw cap crown portion having a thread formation bordered at its terminals by annular reinforcing and stiffening formations of a combined width substantially equal to the length of the area occupied by said thread formation, the latter occupying substantially only the zone of hardening influence resulting from distortion of the metal in forming said reinforcing and stiffening formations, and an annular cotinuous skirt portion equipped adjacent'one of said last-named formations with a rip-strip terminating in a free-digitally engageable tongue, said skirt portion maintained normally soft and permitting severance therefrom of said rip-strip without resort to tools, the lower of said last-named formations constituting an outwardly projecting annular bead. and said rip-strip being bordered by parallel annular scorings one of which is substantially coincident with thelower edge of said bead.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set by hand this 17th day of May, 1930.

EDWARD H. FABRICE. 

